Asian handicap
A soccer handicap that removes the draw using half, whole and quarter lines, with refunds or half-results on some outcomes.
Asian handicap gives one team a goal head start (or deficit) so the market has two outcomes instead of three. Lines come in three types.
- Half lines (-0.5, -1.5): no refund possible. -0.5 is equivalent to a straight win bet.
- Whole lines (0, -1, -2): if the adjusted result is a draw, the stake is returned. A 0 line is draw no bet.
- Quarter lines (-0.25, -0.75, +1.25): your stake is split equally between the two neighbouring lines.
Quarter line example
€100 on Team A -0.75 at 1.95. The stake splits into €50 on -0.5 and €50 on -1.
| Result for Team A | -0.5 half | -1 half | Total return | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins by 2+ | €97.50 | €97.50 | €195.00 | €95.00 |
| Wins by 1 | €97.50 | €50 refund | €147.50 | €47.50 |
| Draw or loss | €0 | €0 | €0 | -€100 |
Plus quarter line
€100 on Team B +0.25 at 1.90: half on 0, half on +0.5.
- Team B wins: €190 return.
- Draw: €50 refunded on the 0 half, €50 × 1.90 = €95 on the +0.5 half. Total €145, profit €45.
- Team B loses: €0.
Why bettors use it
Asian handicap markets typically carry lower margins than 1X2 and concentrate the market into two balanced sides, which also makes closing line value easy to measure. See point spread for the North American equivalent.